5 Sites You Should Visit Everyday

Posted on 01. May, 2009 by MJay in Product Reviews

The movement toward the digital dissemination of information has been a dramatic over the past few years. This has made the world a lot smaller and just about anyone with a computer and a little money can start a website, create blogs, or simply anonymously offer their opinion on the 1000’s of message boards or comment threads at any number of sites. Searching through the likes of about a trillion sites on Google, its sometimes impossible to find what you need. The savvy internet user knows how to get the information they need, without having to cut through the clutter manually.

I’ve tried to do my best to whittle down the internet into five sites you should visit everyday in order to help you save time, get the information you need, and continue on with your busy schedules. That being said, let’s get down to business.

1. Google News

Gone are the days of picking up a paper off the front porch and reading while sipping a cup of coffee in the study. Every major news source publishes digital news 24/7. As king of the search world, Google has complied over 25,000 news sources and turned their news page into the center of the current event universe. You’ll get the most immediate coverage of nearly everything going on from 100’s of different sources. google-news-screenshot

Sick and tired of that slant you always get from your local paper? Try another news source for a different slant at a particular issue, its all there and easily accessible. Google News also has extensive customization to get you exactly what you need. By ordering your preferences, you’ll get more relevant sources in the right pane, while getting top stories in the left pane. Hit this site every morning and make sure you aren’t the last to find out about that late breaking story. In case you are curious my order goes as follows: Sports, Business, US, World, More Top Stories, Sci/Tech, Health, and Entertainment. Google News also allows you to create your own categories. You can see how your favorite team did last night, get updates on companies you are following, or find news on the ‘ole Alma Mater… all without so much as a click.

2. Woot!

Everyone loves a good deal right? Woot! makes it easy by having only one item for sale every day. Shipping is always $5.00 and the page refreshes every night at 1:00am EST. Check this site daily and see if there is something in which you might be interested. You never know what will show up. It could be anything from a cheap new Flat Screen TVs to Leak Frogs. Don’t you just love American Consumerism? Aside from having great prices you’ll get a good for a laugh from the hilarious product descriptions or obscure pop-culture references often used.

Every couple weeks, Woot! hosts a Woot Off!, where numerous products are offered in a limited quantity and are there till sold out. If you score a Bag of Crap, consider yourself lucky! The server usually crashes due to the overwhelming popularity.

3. Pandora

Pandora Dashboard

Ahh music. What would the world be without it? Pandora has built a music genome, linking similar styles of music together in a way that people can build there own internet radio stations. Just pick your favorite band or song and soon you’ll be on your way to a new uninterpreted musical experience. You are sure to hear some of your old favorites, along with being introduced to new music that will be similar in style to the station you create.

Need a little variety? Just add more songs or bands to your station. As song roll by, you’ll be able to thumbs up or thumbs down the song, further customizing your station. Just throw this on at home or in the office and let the tunes jam. My favorite station? Outkast-Dave Matthews Band-Incubus-Foo Fighters Radio!

4. Quicken Online

Now that we’ve all graduated college, we have hit the point in our lives where we start balancing paydays, bills, student loans, 401(k)s, stocks, etc. and its almost impossible to keep track of everything. Intuits’ Quicken Online is an easy to use software that lets you view the majority of your accounts from a central location. Built into the software is a system that lets you categorize spending (don’t worry, it’ll learn how to categorize these for you over time), view multiple accounts, and assess your financial standing all in one place. Want to know where your money is going? Want to create a budget? Quicken Online will let you know exactly how much you are spending and where all that money is going.

There are many other players in this new market, but I found Quicken Online to be the most useful. The setup is a little time consuming, but think of it as an investment in your free time… it’ll pay dividends down the road. The site is ad free and they are continually adding new features. The software is 100% free and accessible from any computer… all this coming from a well-established company that essentially invented digital personal financial management. Try this out, you’ll wonder how you managed your finances without it.

5. Digg

All seriousness aside, everyone needs a site they can hit for a good laugh, interesting articles, or other off beat internet shenanigans. Digg users highlight articles they like by submitting them to their database and “digging” articles they enjoy. The sites with more diggs will appear on their homepage and it constantly refreshes with new content. Currently on the homepage, you’ll find a couple funny pictures, some interesting science articles, some politics, a little entertainment, and some quality satire. You probably won’t find Nobel Prize winning social commentary, but you might just find something interesting to talk about on your next date.

So there you have it. These are some quality sites that I’m sure all of you will find useful. You’ll keep in touch with the outside world, expand your tastes, grow your financial sophistication, and might even find a good deal or two, all before you jump in the shower.

Did I miss anything? What are some of the sites you all like to visit on a daily basis?